against territorial integrity or -- but it is necessary to strengthen the possibilities for a diplomatic solution to be found. we support the efforts of the secretary-general of the united nations. we welcome the visit of secretary general feldman to russia. we believe it is time that it is a priority. it is the priority and we should avoid any further escalation of the prices by beginning dialogue with a view to contributing to peace andation of stability so that the elections can take place on the 25th of may. >> i think the representative of statement.

>> thank you, mr. president. president, the situation in ukraine has. it in the past few hours. launched forces have have continued to seize public buildings and cities in eastern ukraine. the prosecutor's office is even occupied by the militants. they killed the two crew members. the osce military observers are still illegally obtained -- detained. we are deeply concerned by all these developments which further

deteriorate the delicate situation in eastern ukraine. we strongly condemn the violence and by armed securities call for the appropriate response by the ukrainian forces. put our fullhould support behind the good officials of the secretary-general in resolving the crisis in ukraine. mr. feldman is going to ukraine. i call on all the council members to trust him and to give them the means and the political backing necessary to conduct a meaningful mediation in ukraine and the region. of any other council members on the crisis will not solve the ukrainian conflict. a dialogue that only

by the ukrainian people on the the geneva treaty and there was a strong commitment for those who have influence that need to ensure the sovereignty and territory of ukraine is observed. otherwise, the situation may further escalate and the conflict will become regional or worse. continuee useless to emergency public briefings of the situation if concerned parties and countries are not willing to be responsible and solve the conflict. need to scale we down the rhetoric. i thank you. >> i think the representative of rwanda. inhall now make a statement

my cap pacitti of representative of the republic of korea. i think the secretary-general for his briefing. korea is deeply concerned over the continuing tensions in eastern ukraine. despite the agreement reached in geneva, the situation in ukraine is showing no sign of stopping. we are large by the fresh violence corrupted in ukraine overnight, including violent attacks targeting to government helicopters by illegal armed groups. we strongly condemn these attacks. it resulted in the death of two ukrainians. such instance points to a serious deterioration in the situation or provocative actions and hostile rhetoric aimed at destabilizing ukraine must cease.

in light of the ongoing situation in ukraine, we reiterated that instructive dialogue between all concerned parties will be the only way to achieve a peaceful solution. we call for all parties to the geneva statement to of lament their commitments. we also fully support of the secretary offices and diplomatic initiatives. we hope that his upcoming visit to ukraine and russia will a contribution -- will contribute to de-escalating on the ground. with the importance -- important election scheduled -- scheduled in may, it is important to ensure the environment conducive to the air -- to fair and free elections without any intervention by outside forces. we hope that ukrainian government leads in inclusive and cons -- transparent process.

support forour full ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. i resume my function as president of the council. i now give my floor to the representative of ukraine. >> thank you. mr. president, let me start by congratulating you on your presidency for the month of may. all the success in the filling is -- we want to thank the delegation for the successful presidency last month. extend ouro like to thanks to the security council andgation for your support the solidarity of the government and people of ukraine.

thank you for your briefing today. canaan --ent, new ukraine remains committed to the implementation of the agreements reached. the russian federation, the european union, and the united states in geneva on april 17. presidentialthere elections remain a top priority of the government of ukraine. all attempts of russia to blame the government of ukraine or allegedly ailing to implement their agreements and we state that despite numerous calls from the internationalist community, the federation is taking no efforts to the escalate the situation and implement the geneva agreement. instead, russia's strongly -- and russia strongly supports extreme groups operating in the

eastern regions of new ukraine. endangering civilians, taking hostages, and creating an atmosphere of terror and violence. as well as protection of rights and fundamental freedoms of all feed him of ukraine remain a top priority for the government of ukraine. therefore, the purpose of the counterterrorist operation has been renewed and it is to isolate illegal militants from situations. thecommandment of operation as required heavily armed illegal militants to immediately free are hostages, including osce monitors and to stop violence and massacres. ukrainian authorities are ready

to amnesty all those members of militant groups who have not committed serious crimes. including the lyrical dialogue ofh protesters remains product -- a top priority for the government. noofficially us data that missiles or tanks are used against civilians. the russian statements about participation of governmental groups in the counterterrorist operation is not true. thoughtsf the cynical of english-speaking foreigners involvement, the officially claim the only foreign military in use -- and used in ukraine armor -- are russian. the ukrainian

side as well as the russian and the seam was not duly informed representative of the whose missionent theo contribute to liberation of the hostages taken in eastern ukraine. of the the circumstances arrival and taken into account the highest priority of the ukrainian government to make illegal militants to release all hostages, we are ready to mediators the practical contribution in order to resolve this problem. president, let me remind you that there is a dangerous situation. in accordance with the law of

2003 on counterterrorism, the national security and defense allowedof ukraine has the decision to launch a large-scale counterterrorism operation. due to increasing threats to civilian population, this the counterterrorism operation has been renewed in the area in ukraine. of ministry of internal affairs, national guard, and the service of ukraine were engaged. the counterterrorist operation is implemented exclusively by the enforcement -- by the law enforcement agencies of ukraine. in the moment, check points have been taking under control by law enforcement agencies. areillegal militants who heavy firearmsng against ukrainians.

ukrainianshot down to melekeok -- helicopters with missiles and antiaircraft guns. two officers have been killed, seven wounded. the terrorists don't hesitate to use peaceful populations as life shells. this brutal tactic is used by the terrorists who are very well aware about of the appropriate instructions to influence agencies not to open up fire towards residential buildings. also, i would like to mention that tonight there were attempts to break through the state border by groups of russian .rmed saboteurs that is why we call on our and actionsners

aimed at undermining sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. mr. president, in conclusion, i would like to quote today's statement of mr. alexander, the acting president of ukraine. terrorists seven tors and those who raise arms in our country lay down their arms, surrender free hostages, and let go of the buildings. those that are not involved in serious crimes will be subject to amnesty, but those perpetrators accused of murder and torture will be punished. to build peace and is -- and stability despite all efforts and attempts to organize collocations and armrests to destabilize the situation in the

country, particularly in certain areas. i would like to appeal to the leadership of the russian federation about the events taking place in ukraine as well as the threats and intimidation. you are concerned about the violations of the rights of citizens, then protect them in your own country. the violation of human rights is systematic. call on russia to stop provocations against our country and not to use terrorism, sabotage, and threats on our country. despite all the problems and we will ensure peace and stability in our country and stop the terrorist threat in the east of ukraine. "

i thank you for your attention. mccluskey looks at the role that education plays. eisinger in his reagan -- his recent article for the government to penalize those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. plus, your phone calls and tweets. washington journal is live at 7 a.m. eastern on c-span. coverage of the 2014 white house correspondents dinner. we would hear remarks from mchaleent obama and joel as they speak to journalists. live coverage starts at 6 p.m. eastern with the red carpet arrivals. see it all saturday on c-span.

>> the women were not only the first women stockholders of the ford, not to be repeated 100 years. they had a radical newspaper. they spoke to 6000 people. they were celebrities. of they had headlines with just their names like madonna. they were very aim is based on the beginnings with vanderbilt. pt threatening them with blackmail -- we are going to expose you and show what the past is like. the mother start of ridiculous court trial in which she said pretoria's then husband wanted to put her in an insane asylum.

and runabout is very trashy family. the sisters had been trying very hard for two years to hide all of that and they were inventing and reinventing themselves. they were not the least educated but they said they were. them,ng that would help they were willing to wreck their old lives just to get her back in the fold. they had a lot of rotten characters in the family. too little remember victorian sisters changed the course of women's rights and american history sunday night at 8:00. >> both chambers of congress are in session next week. of the house returns tuesday at 2 p.m. eastern for legislative work with votes at 6:30 p.m.

weekar more about the ahead, we spoke with a capitol hill reporter. >> john boehner announces he tends for the house to vote to create and select committee to 2011into the september 11, , benghazi attack. he tweeted that americans deserve the truth about the attack that killed our ambassador. for look ahead to next week in congress, what is the point of forming this committee, bob cusack? >> it gives more power and more political pressure for republicans to address this issue. john boehner had previously not jumped on on this legislation that was called for by frank wolf, a republican from virginia who said we need to have a

select committee, a bipartisan committee to look into this. he deferred to the committee chairman but the e-mails that have come out this week have changed the dynamic putting more pressure on speaker boehner. indicated -- boehner indicated we are going further. they're trying to figure out the makeup of it. boehner is going forward. >> is a likely the house before it?ill v vote on >> yes. i imagine it will pass. you may have a few democrats that may vote for it but most democrats say that republicans have politicized and ghazi and will vote no. the oversight committee has subpoenaed the secretary of state john kerry to test the i on the benghazi -- to testify on

the benghazi situation. >> i want to know why these documents were obtained through a lawsuit. they were not given to congress. given anistration is few indications for that which one was classified. number two, they were not related to benghazi specifically so he wants to get answers from john kerry to was not leading the state department at the time but has been involved in documents delivered to congress. that is going to happen later this month. that is going to be quite a combative hearing. issue, thecombative contempt of congress citations to resolutions. the former irs though -- official, it passed the house oversight and government reform committee a few weeks ago it comes will vote next week. >> that is going to be another partyline vote.

been a lot of new news in the irs investigation. we are approaching the one-year anniversary and the reason is it is a key figure -- lois lerner is a key figure and has not been talking. republicans are bringing this measure because they want to get more answers and they think there is a lot more to this story. they're going to have is vote and will pass and will he referred to the justice department for putting pressure on the justice department to seek criminal charges. it does put more pressure on the doj to at least look up this. >> there is word of the senate may take up the keystone xl pipeline and call for the opening of the pipe mind at least overruling what the administration wants to do. i did this come about -- how did this come about? >> a lot of the red state democrats are up for election in six months who support the

approval of keystone, but most undergrads do not. question is will this be a nonbinding vote or a binding vote. it is a bipartisan coalition that us and we're moving forward on keystone. the house is already past the keystone bill and the senate, even if it is a binding bill, they don't have the votes but they're not going to have the vetoproof majorities so this can give senate democrats some cover. it is not going to overrule the president who hasn't decided. for the democratic standpoint, this could be a good thing because it gives them political cover. republicans, it advances the ball to that is why there is a potential camper minds -- compromise. bob cusack, thank you for the update. angela merkel talks about

u.s. relations with germany and the transatlantic trade and investment partnership. this is an hour. >> please welcome dr. angela merkel. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the chamber of commerce of the united states. period is tom donohue am the president and ceo of the spine institution. i would like to extend a special welcome to those of you visiting our headquarters for the first time. the chamber is a 102-year-old organization. this building serves as a central rallying point for the ..s. business community we host several hundred meetings here in this room alone every year. room we are gathered in today, the international hall of flags, is rich in symbolism and history. afterom takes its name

the overhead banners of 12 great explorers who blazed the first paths of trade. they planted the first seeds of commercial and industrial growth in the new world. these flags remind us that the transatlantic relationship has been around for a long time. today, we are reminded just how essential this relationship is. alliance is.-eu critical to global stability, peace, and freedom. this has been proven time and time again throughout recent history. the world is always changing and the transatlantic partners are being test it in new and difficult ways. competitorsrtive who are vying for natural resources, human talent, markets, economic, and geopolitical influence.

to meet these challenges, we must step up and offer strong, smart, and positive global leadership in commerce, diplomacy, geopolitics, security, and advocacy of our most cherished values. if we do not, others will fill that void. this brings me to our special .uest chancellor merkel since she assumed the office in 2005, she has not only revitalized germany's massive economy, the largest in europe and the third-largest largest in the world, but has put u.s.-german relations on a sounder fruiting. she has displayed exemplary leadership on transatlantic issues. she has been a forceful opponent of the transatlantic trade and

investment partnership which we call ttopip. it will set the gold standard for straight -- for trade that will ensure the free flow of capital talent and goods and data and will ensure a more level playing field by reforming procurementroles -- rules and forcing regulatory corroboration. with the chancellor on the importance of this agreement. we are pressing for its advancement every day in washington. we will hold for global conferences and key countries, including germany, to demonstrate to the business communities unity on this important ttip. chancellor merkel understands we need prosperity to pay for security and without security, we cannot have prosperity. is critical to

strengthening the economic foundation of our alliance and that is critical to demonstrating our global leadership. that europeggested needs this trade agreement more than the united states does and that is fundamental nonsense. let me be crystal clear -- american needs europe and we need this agreement for our own economy and to strengthen the partnership that has done more than any other to advance the liberty,prosperity, and peace in the world. the world is watching period from moscow to beijing, the actions of the transatlantic partners are being scrutinized very closely. is a time of uncertainty, there are some things we can be sure of. we can be certain that went united states and the eu at gather, we make a tremendous

difference in world affairs. we can be certain that expanding our commercial relationship is key to our ability to exert global and lawrence. we can be certain that chancellor merkel will continue to provide real leadership and commitment to a stronger and deeper transatlantic partnership. i had the honor of seeing the chancellor on the opening day of the world's largest industrial fair in hannover last month where she spoke out strongly about this relationship. it is my great pleasure to welcome her back to the u.s. chamber of commerce. we're looking forward to hearing her message. ladies and gentlemen, the chancellor of germany, angela merkel. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, i am delighted to be back in .ashington today i am equally delighted to be year at the u.s. chamber of commerce. we look at the fact how we are linked. it provides the political context and economic context. our relationship rests on shared values and aren't shared interests. we know that only together can mass of the great economic and political challenges in this globalized world of today. about a quarter of century ago, 25 years ago, the berlin wall fell. the confrontation of the two

blocks was prevalent during the days of the cold war and some even talk about the end of history as we know it. with the crisis of ukraine 25 orderafter, the postwar after his button to question. the rest on the acceptance of the principle of territorial integrity. , borders arers at changed by someone pitting the law of the stronger against the law. it was due to the annexation of the crimean immense love but i am convinced in the end, the rule of law will prevail but we this --ff that does steadfastness in we need resolved to pursue our

transatlantic partnership and standing up for our values. the since the beginning of crisis of ukraine, both europe and the united states gather -- together our resolve to stand up for a democratic order for keeping the rule of law. by the ukrainian people a reason if they are to decide their own future. for the social orientation of the country. open.ains in ukrainesituation however be further destabilized, all of the partners in europe and the united states will not be weakened in their resolve.

i discussed this issue with president barack obama. is most important event here the actions of the 23rd of may which actually take place on the same day as elections. ukraineir elections in can read and reviewed -- can mean a new beginning. they can prepare the ground for constitutional reform that includes all of ukraine. whoever wants a good future for ukraine will contribute towards elections on the 25th of may taking place in a secure environment. the osce is giving a very important contribution to this. also, through the admission that we created just for ukraine. we must not forget overseas

support for ukraine. the european union, the imf, the u.s., japan have earmarked a substantial financial support for ukraine. right now, all eyes are on ukraine. we must not forget the transatlantic partnership also is called upon to bring a conflict. to the iran there is a settlement bring -- being brought about. they need to go beyond abiding by the geneva joint plan of action. it needs to match its words. notld iran and not -- fulfill his obligations, we continue to stand ready to actually call this abstention -- of the suspension of sanctions and adopt a more far-reaching sanctions.

right now, i thought -- i think we ought to give them a chance. the civil war that has raged in syria for three years also calls upon us to stand together. catastrophe has taken the lives of many people already. millions of people have been turned into wretched -- refugees. the region is in need. accept this state. germany is participating in the national protection mission that is to destroy the inhumane and a number of the chemical substances will be rendered unusable in germany. we cannot and must not accept the syrian tragedy the is -- because human rights and human dignity. be individual freedom and rule of law is indeed the foundation

on which our countries on boats bass on both sides of the atlantic rest. this is the foundation that our partnership. as regards to debate armed collection of data in germany and other countries, this turned out to be the case. -- in political responsibility is well aware of the wealth of intelligence is absolutely indispensable security safety and freedom are .eople we are responsible for the protection of our citizens against a terrorist threat. also, we are responsible for attacks against the privacy of our individual citizens and that is in tune with our shared values of freedom. we all know there has always

been a conflict with each other. to strikere important a balance and redefine it bounced between individual rights and protection and security and safety. it issued today with the digital revolution. our citizens are expecting that a state needs to abide by the principles of proportionality in all facets. --'s be blunt about this over the past few months, we've seen considerable differences of opinions and interests between germany and the united states over these issues. think we willi do not fully overcome those even after. we cannot actually come to a reconciliation just by contacts between the intelligence communities. a need to enter into

political dialogue where we are clear about the dramatic changes in instances of the digital revolution, not only on the intelligent work, but generally around the changes that this means for our societies, the way we do business, politics. u.s. was initiate a dialogue between the two countries. know thisfied to project. we need to be clear in our minds that it is a very ambitious task to have the potential of the international data flow, but also to see that we continue to be in a position to be able to protect the freedom of people. this is what democracies are all about, protecting individual rights, protecting the dignity of man, and protecting the safety and security. nutshell, andn a end never justifies the means in everything that is not technically feasible should be done.

discussed on the balance between freedom and security and the rights of the individual. on.s a debate that is going in spite of all the differences, i continue to abide clearly by the principle that europe, germany, and united states could not wish for a more reliable partner respectively than we have in the transatlantic alliance. the alliance is a prime importance to all of us and this is the basis for our very close economic cooperation as well. the transatlantic economic the whole 15ure on million jobs on that side of the atlantic. it is indispensable. german companies alone a great in more than 600,000 jobs over haveand american companies

created 800,000 jobs as of now. the u.s. chamber of commerce is an eloquent testament to these very close integrations of our tool economic areas. the world has changed incredibly. you have more of a political and theomic weight of economies, the overall framework of the g 20. the global financial and economic crisis as greatly impaired progress and growth in the countries which has a lasting impact. globally, we see a tightening of growth which is something we are very pleased to. of imf is excepting growth 3.6% and next year to 3.9%. reason for usbe a to be complacent. in europe and the united states,

just as other industrialized countries, we are still facing very grave challenges. public --r too high the burden of unemployment. increasing competition on global a continued vulnerability of the global financial system. to masterly be able those challenges if we continue to work closely on the basis of trust in the transatlantic the imf, the also world trade organization, the osce, and the framework of you 20. g 20. 20 -- the transatlantic economic council was established, not

only on very important areas ability whichral contributed to a smooth operation between the business community. the nuclear us of a project that at the time by considered a champion many. the project to take negotiations on the transatlantic trade agreements. , we arece that summer negotiating about the transatlantic investment and trade partnership. it is a key project of our transatlantic operation. draw the two economic areas, europe and the united states, closer to each other and it will strengthen both sides. ism very grateful that it good to promote this. of the europeans and united states have a very close free-trade agreement.

further negotiations take place with other countries and that we ought to be able to forge a transatlantic free-trade area between -- i am saying on our behalf, we are to make this possible until the end of 2015. it would be a very clear signal of our resolve to draw down barriers of trade in the conference of way. i would also be a very important impotence to the global economy and all. is crucial to be comprehensive on one's approach. to draw down the still existing barriers between the european union and the united states. there are no longer keeping with the times. we want to do more with trade.

sides,ny decades of both there have been a number of standards and a number of regulations that have been promoted and put into place. due to this duplication of regulation on both sides of the upset by anyis not benefits, high costs are concurred to a business community. company that wants to export of machinery to the united states today needs to have registered individual development.r so that they correspond with american specifications. the function of these individual components are typical. that is the sort of opportunity that is opening up for us to be .ctually free

this is why we want to further liberalize public determined. we want to develop future oriented technologies and also -- our two countries have a hard time trying to access the market. for a small or medium-sized brewery, because of the very difficult's rules, it is difficult for them. i am tempted to say you don't know what you're missing. ladies and gentlemen, looking at , we not onlyons

concentrate on the top -- the companies. it is important that both benefits on both sides are benefited because a joint area will lead to lower prices and to a broader range of products. we've been able to come to an trade andon mutual these kinds of food stamps have been made much easier. i know that many citizens in europe have been following negotiations with a skeptical eye. these negotiations can only be brought to a successful conclusion if we show a high

degree of transparency and also if we try to enlist the support and participation, so it is important that both partners to the negotiations have made it clear that a free trade agreement will not lead to the drawdown of rules that protect the interests of consumers, of people who work, and the environment. also the has to be some kind of leeway for future regulation because it is not the aim of this free-trade agreement to give a prominence to the interests of companies vis-à-vis the interest of citizens. the aim is to learn from each other, to be in close dialogue, perhaps promoting new standards that go a long way toward improving the standard of living of citizens of both sides. if we are able to do that then we will also be able to, the two of us together, to set standards for the environment and protection. we have power that we can wield

in global communications. our partners in the wto are watching our negotiations with great attention. i can only assure you that our aim is and remains to come to as comprehensive a drawdown of their years, we have seen that bilateral negotiations offer better opportunities. i am convinced that any progress we make in ttip will not only reduce prospects [inaudible] but increase it. there seems to be a new kind of spirit in wto. there was a large share in the success that was possible in bali.

trade policy can only be one building block of a comprehensive strategy to release the forces for growth in our countries. four other areas need to come into play. first, public budgets need to be put on a sound, sustainable level. the debt crisis we have seen in the euro area has shown us very clearly that durable prosperity can only happen on the basis of sound fiscal policy. in coping with the crisis in the euro area beyond any doubt, we have made important progress. we have adopted rules for a stable monetary union and important support programs for countries in need and building up a banking union of the european level.

we now at the same time that the european crisis, the sovereign debt crisis is not yet overcome, at least not in a lasting way, the mistakes that were made more than 20 years ago when the european monetary union came into place have not been completely addressed. we have to continue to work on this and our objective needs to be we must never see such a crisis repeat itself again. this is a long lasting exercise in europe and our partners outside of europe such as the u.s. and japan. i know this is part of your public debate. both europe and the u.s. are facing great challenges. the labor market, it the educational area, creating the most positive environment for investment. the task is the same. rendering our companies of holding their own in global company vision.

europe and america can benefit a lot from each other and can learn a lot from each other. europe and germany can learn from the u.s. in terms of giving seed money to innovative companies. i am please that apparently the good affairs we have made with our training scheme has been looked at very favorably here by the americans as well. what is also important to see is achieving a secure supply of affordable energy. we are interested to work together with the u.s. here. the ttip negotiations ought to give us an opportunity to deepen our energy cooperation. in europe when we look at the

crisis in ukraine, we also think about how we can make ourselves more independent of unilateral energy supplies and gas delivery from russia. the transatlantic mentorship also offers great opportunities. we are duty bound to make global financial systems more resilient particularly in the g 20. we have made great headway. there are a number of areas where we still have considerable need for further reform. i am much interested in seeing regulation, bout on the shadow banking sector. we need to also do more on regulations where we see to it that any financial institution that gets into difficulties and irrespective of its size can actually be [inaudible] without taxpayer money. you have made enormous strides here and we have made some progress. this needs to be continued. all of these foreign and

security policy challenges can only be mastered if we act together. the transatlantic partnership is and remains also in future the crucial key to peace, freedom, security, and prosperity for all of us. it is particularly in this year, 2014, that we are more than aware of this fact. 100 years after the beginning of the first world war, 75 years after the beginning of the second world war, and 25 years after the fall of the berlin wall. we must never forget what a treasure for both peace and freedom, for peace in freedom, what a treasure this kind of venture is and we feel committed to cherish and nurture this treasure politically and economically in germany and america. this is what this great transatlantic partnership is all

about. thank you for your attention. [applause] >> that was wonderful. now we have a great chance to answer a few questions, and i will start to give everybody a chance to get settled. i really am very interested for message from you on the practical things that the business community in this country and the business community in europe can do on their own to go out and drive us closer and faster to this agreement.

>> well, i think that at the end of the day, the business communities to feel committed to this aim. i am assured of support i have seen [indiscernible] how can companies which those people who see so much concern, who are skeptical so i would ask you to talk to their own labor force and asked the companies to talk to their own labor force and bring home to them who actually in the world already has such a trade agreement and what benefit they can reap from this. they are not aware especially in the asian area that indonesia has and free-trade agreements

with china. there are many others of this kind. we need to make it understood that we are not trying to cut down certain standards that have been achieved with a lot of work over time. we are trying to secure the future of what as we know it jobs as we know it in our countries. it would be important to talk to trade unions in germany about this because they are able to do quite a lot for people they talk to. go out of the box if you like and not meet only with your own people because they all know your viewpoint anyway, but go outside, go and talk to the public. bring this to [inaudible] and companies have a hard time. they are looking after their own and their own interests. we have seen that in negotiations with korea. that is also the case with japan. what will this mean for us if the south koreans are able to

penetrate our markets and so on. it is interesting that there is this south korean trade agreement. there is an enormous growth rate. the other bit of what they feared has come to pass and that is what the industry in general needs to see. we made the experience that sets free-trade agreements revive business. >> we have been told i our labor unions that when we negotiate that we should negotiate labor standards that are like the european standards. we have been telling the labor unions we have got that done now so support this agreement.

and we will continue to remind them. so one more question and then we'll go to the audience. in recent days in meetings here and meanings we have had with others, we talked about the effect that the circumstances in ukraine on the negotiation of this trade agreement. will it compete it or will it stimulate it and perhaps even move it faster? >> it's not going to get any more difficult. whether it is easy is something the jury is still out on. on energy, i think you may well have a positive effect, actually. that is where i see possibly the greatest benefit.

we're currently talking a lot about what sort of lessons do we learn and particularly here in washington, i understand you are talking about the next sanctions, the next possible step. we ought to join forces. barack obama and i were saying we want to bring about a good solution. we should not underestimate present sanctions already taking effect, have an effect. they have an effect that goes far beyond the sanction proper because right now, corporation with an economic area such as russia, which basically seem to be moving up, getting more intensive, getting better is

called into question and the question of whether a company would invest in russia into the future, that is something that now they would have second thoughts about. we in europe have imposed sanctions that have taken effect and work for six months but in europe there will be a rethink on their own energy supplies. they do not want to continue to be 100% dependent on russia. it may well be that the long-term, looking at the energy supply also in the united states, we may well have much closer cooperation with you. people have to be told if we do not have a free trade agreement , it will take a very long time before we can have the first deliveries of liquefied natural gas. and when we have a free trade agreement, -- this could go a

long way toward convincing european countries. >> thank you. this is a very unique sitting arrangement because usually i can see over the lights. because of the press, we have extra lights. for the people in the first rows, we're going to have to put you on your best honor. well, i can see you. who would have the first question? going once. you had better put your hand up or i will start the next question. over there. thank you. when you stand up, you introduce yourself and where you are from so the chancellor might know what you really want to ask. [laughter] >> i will do it in german. i come from berlin.

thank you for your clear words on ttip. you mentioned there were discussions as regards lowering of standards and other issues mentioned that is something that is talked about back home and the lack of transparency of those negotiations. this scheme is discussed at a very controversial matter back home. what is your viewpoint on this? >> we reacted in a very reserved way in regards to a particular area of investment protection. it has been blown a little bit out of proportion. that, in a way, stands for something that we need to do, we need to do more.

we can do without this if it is not needed. if it is needed, we need to do it. there are individual components taken up by people who are skeptical, who want to use this by proving that something that is dear to our hearts back home, it is in many ways impaired by this agreement. if you talk to people about free trade agreements we have with other countries, that goes a long way toward addressing such skepticism. we must be aware that during the whole of these negotiation process, people will tend to highlight different aspects and explain there is something horrible happening. we need to be transparent and explain more. negotiations cannot be happening at an open stage. one has to protect one's own interests as well. one should not be too secretive about it either.

so that people are worried about our holding something from them. again, try and say there are other trade agreements and tell people you were fearful than but these fears were not justified. >> very good. right there. >> the history of sanctions are pretty clear. if sanctions are truly multilateral, there is a chance of success. if sanctions are unilateral, companies or countries often try to game the system to win temporary advantage at the expense of the companies that are under great restrictions.

where we stand today is the u.s. has more strict sanctions and other countries. how can the united states and germany be on the same page with the same sanctions so that we have a chance to really make a difference with truly multilateral sanctions where the major countries have the same restrictions on their companies so that there is a chance to move forward? >> well, after all, we try to coordinate very closely. there are very different sorts of situations in place in europe and the u.s. but we have been able to align our policies pretty well. what is the difference? one difference is -- we are not talking about companies now. we are talking about sanctions against individual persons, the american laws are different than

those in the eu. in the eu we can impose sanctions on persons that have direct responsibility for what is happening on the peninsula or what is destabilizing. in regard to iran we have always been shot down by the courts when we went too far in their minds. we are currently working in the eu on such a legal framework and trying to broaden that somewhat and making it somewhat similar to what you have in the united states. secondly, in europe, we have 28 member countries. we have to come to unanimous decisions over anything that we plan to do.

the impact that sanctions have also, by way of repercussions on member countries, are very different. if you talk about possible financial sanctions, germany is not particularly affected. if you talk about energy sanctions, germany is a little bit more effect it. in europe we have an interest if matters come to such a pass that we need to go further that we have a mix of sanctions where each and every country suffers a little bit. not one country suffering a little bit and not one country suffering at all. in europe, we have possibilities to do things -- we have worked with russia and we give them credit lines and also european bank investment. we could take a moment and think whether we should not do certain changes as regards the way we treat russia. that is something the u.s. is not able to do. there is not 100% alignment between what we do but there has to be some kind of fair balance.

that some companies are affected 100% and some not at all. the eu is careful in preparing work and looking at that aspect on the whole, trade between europe and russia obviously is much more closely developed then trade between the u.s. and russia. >> show we go to the side? we shall move back here where they seem to have people with more questions. how much time do we have? 10? great. back there. >> i am a russian journalist. i'm hearing from my friends who

work in germany that the business community is against sanctions. they do want to go to saint petersburg and take part in the next meeting. what do you say to your own business community? >> i think -- i do not know if that is the case in any other parts of the world. people who want to do business and that is what the business community is about. i am not exactly longing for sanctions. in germany,some people are also against sanctions against iran. that is true now for russia. all of the top ceos of the business community and industry have said if that is the case if you decide on that than we will abide by your decisions and the community knows this.

although they have envisaged a different kind of relationship. if two years ago you had asked me whether we would discuss such issues today, i would have said that is not very probable. one needs predictability. and one needs certain framework conditions for investments. so, many in the business community -- i cannot talk obviously reliably on their behalf -- but many of them are aware that reliability and the basic acceptance of the european postwar order, namely territorial integrity, is a very important thing and the business community in doing business cannot completely neglect that. they will not be enthusiastically owed -- excepting that but they are open. there are possibilities there. let us work together with russia

for the elections taking place in ukraine on may 25 so ukrainians are in a position to decide their future course of their country themselves and we do not need to introduce her -- further sanctions. no one is longing for that. do you think politicians like to talk about this? we cannot just sit back and watch. basic principles that ought to be prevalent in europe are being brought into question. and since the first sanctions have been actually suspended against iran, the german business community was happy. it would be a strange community that is longing and working for sanctions. don't be under any illusions. the german business community, should we have to impose sanctions, will abide by them. >> i wanted to add that in the u.s. we hear from many of our companies the same thing the caterpillar representative said. it should be balanced and there should not be people taking advantage during sanctions.

people understand that if we do not deal with this challenge in an orderly and a broad-based way, we will deal with lots of other, more difficult challenges. i believe, as the chancellor said, that the leaders of the american business community will rally around this collaborative approach to dealing with the problem in the ukraine, and we will make sure that they do. we think we can take one or two more. someone else. right there. someone is bringing you a microphone very quickly. thank you. >> thank you. i am with the european union delegation. as you have seen yesterday, there was the report [inaudible]

a big review on big data commissioned by obama that was just released in the report goes much beyond just the question of intelligence, of course, addressing what can we do with this data, what are the challenges and opportunities for our economies and our societies. i would like to have your views about how do you see the future in this area, also in cooperative terms of both sides of the atlantic on how can we strike the right balance between privacy and security on economic opportunities? thank you. >> thank you. i believe that the current debate in the u.s. has actually already taken effect. the american president issued a presidential order making a few changes and now the question is obviously what does this mean for citizens outside, people outside of the u.s.?

the interim debate has shown first results. i think it is a good thing that between germany and the united states, there is a good thing that a cyber-dialogue will take place. we will look at a data management and questions, how do we use the data, what sort of attacks are we open to and vulnerable? in europe, we have to admit we have the following problem. we are developing a lot of these technologies no longer in europe these days. those that are behind those, the drivers of this particular line of technology are either in asia or, more importantly, even in the u.s., so we need to find ways to be in a position to give our own contributions to this technology and it will be easier for us also to set standards and

how to use them. it is easy to make best possible use of such technologies and in the end complain that there is not some kind of standard that governs how they are used. we need to be out there developing our own. there needs to be a dialogue on this. the foreign ministers will walk on this. i will personally be involved and -- >> we are now going to take the last question. we will go to the side. back there. >> i am marjorie krause. thank you very much for your remarks. i was interested in the comments about energy security and how

those efforts are moving forward, and i understand what is going on is going to help in the longer-term. i just wondered if you could comment on any shorter-term vulnerabilities that europe will face until some of the new terminals and pipelines, online that will create a better path for energy security in the future. >> it is not actually for the first time that in the context of ukraine we have been working on the better and more secure energy supply and better connections within europe as regards the pipelines. a few years ago, we already had a first gas supply crisis. they were difficulties between russia and ukraine in wintertime. slovakia did not receive any gas. at the time, we said we will explore the phenomenon of reverse flow which enables you

to also supply countries with gas that may not directly be connected to the pipeline. we have tried to take measures that will avoid such a situation recurring again where other countries are cut off from supplies. poland is doing that sort of scheme right now. due to -- we have also tried to supply ukraine because there is a possibility of this reverse flow barrier. 50% of deliveries to europe from russia come through the ukraine so there is a high dependency there and we are closely linked because we have gas storage tanks in ukraine which in summer needs to be replaced so that -- in winter, you have sufficient gas to supply europe. now, we have to look at the individual dependence of individual countries. we have 37% dependence on gas.

six countries are 100% dependent. there are other european union members that are more than 50% dependent on russian supplies. we have to increase the building of energy terminals, for example, as a means to avoid further dependence. we have a third framework on the single market energy package on the table in europe. even an owner of a pipeline will not be allowed under that scheme to use the pipeline only for his own gas, but there are certain features of that capacity that he can use for his own supply come but the rest has to be tendered for a public bidding process to take place, and you have to see that others use the pipeline so there is not a monopoly. this leads to russia being

interested in seeing the pipeline being used more from russia, and there is one measure we have taken. these negotiations were stopped on how they can be used by russia because we said we want to see further political progress before we relaunch that communication. we have done something and we are going to continue to work in that direction for a five- to 10-year plan to think how to do this. also, a polish proposal of also developing more of a clout as regards consumer position. we have individual contracts with russia for individual member countries, but we can also pool our markets which will then render a stronger consumer and call for uniform gas prices for the whole of europe.

it is a broad range that goes from $300 to $490 per cubic -- per thousand cubic meters, and that is the same gas supply that is sold to individual countries by individual companies. >> chancellor, we have a lot of guests that come to the chamber. this has been an extraordinary and important visit you have paid us. we are very anxious to know when you will be coming back. the sooner you come back, the sooner we can keep pushing this forward. we want to thank you very much for visiting. i want to thank you very much for your very candid and very helpful comments, and we want to thank your colleagues and your associates for everything they did to help put this event together. we look forward to seeing you again very soon. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> on the next "washington journal," neil mccluskey of the cato institute looks at the common core standards initiative and what role it plays in overall education policy. after that, jesse eisinger on his recent article, looking at government efforts to investigate and penalize people responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. and your phone calls tweets. "washington journal" is live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> the biggest challenge, especially in the house where obviously redistricting occurs, in the house, the biggest challenge at a republican is going to face in a primacy -- primary from someone more conservative. in almost every district, that is the case. that is what they are worried about. they're worried about being

challenged from the right. how can their political interests reach across and make tough compromises? i think we have the system that we designed as a country. -- i am not even sure that the people who fully created these districts realize how profound the applications , but some democrats, particularly minority democrats, have been in on it, too. ,here have been some states african-americans want to make sure they have reliably african-american districts. one that has a large percentage of african-american voters so they can make sure they have representation in congress. >> from the anti-defamation league, changing demographics -- redistricting, and the republican party. saturday morning, just after 11:00 eastern. later on c-span, the white house correspondents dinner.

president obama and joe mchale of nbc's community headlined the event before celebrities and the white house press corps. that is live at 6:00. live sunday on book tv, former gang member, community activists, and political j. rodriguez will take your calls in depth on c-span. on american history tv, a history of hawaii and the sugar industry. sunday at 9:35 on c-span tv. >> 25th street itself is actually not that unusual. similar streets have popped up in other cities, whether beaumont, texas, fort worth, texas, a street in denver. what makes ogden's 25th street unique is that it arose in the middle of a mormon settlement. you had, on the one hand, the

mormon's peoples party, which was struggling to regain control of the city, and on the other hand, you had the railroad, which was the economic life lot of the city which is bringing in non-mormons, which swelled the ranks of the liberal party. so, the railroad which was the economic lifeblood was also the leveling the playing field. you have that irony. the guilty pleasures that were along 25th street were joined to be just a little bit more taboo in other cities. so with the hotels and the restaurants here at the depot in the hotel three blocks east of here, the three blocks between them began to fill in slowly with boarding houses, rooming houses. and saloons. and bordellos, and even some opium dens.

it just so happened that people who came through here, trans-continental passengers, were interested in past times that were quite different of those then mormon culture was accustomed to. >> book tv and american history tv take a look at the history and literary life of ogden, utah. saturday at noon eastern on c-span too and sunday at two on c-span3. . >> earlier today, president obama and german chancellor angela merkel held a joint press conference at the white house. the two leaders discussed additional sanctions for russia and the future of relations between the u.s. and germany. this is 40 minutes. honor toalways a great welcome my friend, chancellor merkel, to the white house. angela is one of my closest

partner and with her indulgence, i want to start by making two brief comments. first, as president, my top priority is doing everything we can to create more jobs and opportunities for hard-working families for our economic strength as a source of strength in the world. this morning, we learned that our businesses created 273,000 new jobs last month. all told, our businesses have now created 9.2 million new jobs over 50 consecutive months of job growth. the grit and determination of the american people are moving us forward, but we have to keep a relentless focus on job creation and creating more opportunities for working families. there is plenty more that congress should be doing, from raising the minimum wage to creating good construction jobs rebuilding america. i want to work with them wherever i can, but i keep acting on my own wherever i must do to make sure that every american who works hard has a chance to get ahead.

second point, i also want to say on behalf of the american people that our thoughts are with the people of afghanistan who have experienced an awful tragedy. we are seeing reports of a devastating landslide on top of recent floods. many people are reported missing, rescue efforts are underway. just as the united states has stood with the people of afghanistan through a difficult decade, we stand ready to help our afghan partners as they respond to this disaster, for even as our war there comes to an end this year, our commitment to afghanistan and its people will endure. now, angela, i am still grateful for the hospitality that you and the german people extended to me, michelle, and our daughters last year in berlin. it was an honor to speak at the brandenburg gate. you promised me a warm welcome

and delivered an unbelievable 90 degree day in berlin. this morning, our work touched on a range of issues where the united states and germany are vital partners. we agreed to continue the close security cooperation, including law enforcement, cyber, and intelligence that keeps our citizens safe. we reaffirmed our strong commitment to completing the transatlantic trade investment partnership, t-tip, which boost to jobs in the united states and europe, we discussed energy security, including the europe diversifying its energy resources. the united states is already approved natural gas exports, which will increase global supply, and t-tip will make it even easier to get exported gas to europe. at our working lunch, we will review negotiations with iran and our shared determination from preventing iran from developing a nuclear weapon. we will discuss in syria where

we continue to support the moderate opposition and provide humanitarian relief to the syrian people. i look forward to a briefing on asia, a region where both of our countries can ensure that all countries in the asia-pacific and adhere to international law and international norms. of course, most of our time was spent on the situation in ukraine. angela, i want to thank you for being such a strong partner on this issue. you have spoken out forcefully against russia's illegal actions in ukraine and you have been a leader in the european union as well as indispensable partner in the g7, and your presence here today is a reminder that our nation stand united. we are united in our determination to impose costs on russia for its actions, including through coordinated sanctions. we are united on our unwavering article five commitment to the security of our nato allies, including german aircraft joining nato patrols over the

baltics. we are united in our support for the veryincluding important imf program approved this week to help ukraine stabilize and reform its economy. and as ukrainian forces moved to restore order in eastern ukraine, it is obvious to the world that these russian groups are not peaceful protesters. they are heavily armed militants who are receiving significant support from russia. the ukrainian government has the right and responsibility to uphold law and order within its territory and russia needs to use its influence over these paramilitary groups of they disarm and stop. evoking violence let me say that we are also united in our outrage over the appalling treatment of the osce observers who have been detained in eastern ukraine. pro-russian militants are still

holding seven observers including four germans as well as their ukrainian escorts. they have been paraded in front of the media and forced to make statements at the barrel of a gun. it is disgraceful and it's inexcusable. russia needs to work to secure their immediate release and the international community will not be satisfied until colonel schneider and his fellow captains come home. finally, as both angela and i have are beautifully said, we want to see a diplomatic resolution to the situation in ukraine. we have also been clear that if the russian leadership does not change course, it will face increasing costs as well as growing isolation diplomatic and even -- an economic. you already, the ruble has fallen to all-time lows and russian stocks this year have dropped sharply and russia has slipped into recession. investors are fleeing its estimated $100 billion in investment will exit russia this year. russian companies are finding it harder to access the capital they need and russia's credit rating has been downgraded to just above junk status. in short, russia is making a russian economy even weaker.

if russia continues on his current course, we have a range of tools at our disposal including sanctions that would target certain sectors of the russian economy. we have been consulting closely with our european and g-7 partners we are stepping up our planning. angela and i continued these consultations today. the russian leadership must know that if it continues to destabilize eastern ukraine and disrupt this month's presidential election, we will move quickly on additional steps including further sanctions that will them pose greater cost. that is a choice facing the russian leadership. our preference is a diplomatic resolution to this issue and the ukrainian government is -- has already shown itself more than willing to work through some of the issues that would ensure that the rights of all ukrainians are respected and you have a representative government. they have shown themselves

willing to discuss amendments to the constitution on a local level. they have gone through with their commitment for the right amnesty for those who lay down arms and are willing to abandon the building they have occupied. the ukrainian government in kiev has follow through on the commitments it made in geneva. when the russians to do the same. angela, i want to thank you again for being here. as always for your friendship and partnership. these are challenging times. russia's actions in your game -- in ukraine pose a challenge to the situation that brought europe and the u.s. together. just as our predecessors stood united for that vision, so will we. chancellor merkel -- >> thank you very much, barack for this gracious hospitality and this warm welcome you accorded to me and i'm very glad to be able to be back in

washington and to have an opportunity to address all of these different issues with you. the priority really is on the current issue of ukraine and it looms large in our agenda and it shows how important the transatlantic partnership is in today's times. i think it's a very good thing that all of the steps we have taken so far, we have taken together and today in our talk, we yet again underlined that we fully intend to go ahead as we did in the past. what happened on ukraine? what happened on the crimean peninsula? the postwar order has been put into question and that rests on the acceptance of territorial integrity by all. this is why it was so important for us to react in concorde. what is at stake is that people in ukraine can act on the basis of self-determination and can determine themselves which road they wish to embark on into the

future. the 25th of may is a true till date. we want to ensure that and want to make sure that elections can take place. we talked about this. together, we shall do everything we can in order to bring russia to do the necessary steps through the osce, and hopefully may 25 will bring about progress. the 25th of may is not all that far away. if that is not possible to stabilize the situation further, further sanctions will be unavoidable. this is something we don't want and we have made a diplomatic offer, an offer for a diplomatic solution so it is up to the russians which road we will embark on. we are firmly resolved to

continue to travel down that road. secondly, we addressed issues that have a bearing on the work of the intelligence services. let me underline yet again on from the german side that we have always enjoyed the" operation with our american partner on this front and anyone in political responsibility is more than aware looking at the challenges of the modern world today that in fighting terrorism, the work of the intelligence services is not only important, it is indeed indispensable. i am firmly convinced our cooperation in this area is very helpful. yet there are differences of opinion on what sort of balance to strike between the intensity of surveillance of trying to protect the citizens against rats and on the other hand, protecting individual privacy and individual freedom. that will require further discussion between our two countries in order to overcome these differences of opinion.

we have these discussions on the european front with safe harbor agreement and privacy protection agreement and i take back the message home that the u.s. is ready to do that and is ready to discuss this although we have differences of opinion. thirdly, ttip, in the overall context of further intensifying our trade relations of global growth but also in the context of diversification of our energy supply. this is a very important issue. it will be very important for us to bring the negotiations very quickly to a close on ttip. we are convinced that for the european union and germany and united states this offers a lot of opportunities for the future. it's so important for us to bring this agreement to a successful conclusion. there are a number of discussions and a number of

skeptical remarks. people have doubts but the doubts and skepticism can be overcome. look at the many partners all over the world that have financial trade agreements. it is simply necessary looking at the intensity of the transatlantic partnership for us to have this agreement and we are fully at one on this one. we have had very intensive talks and we are going to build on this over lunch. thank you very much and thank you for your gracious hospitality. >> i think we will take to questions from the u.s. press and to questions from the german press. we will start with leslie clark. >> thank you, mr. president. you have said today that germany

and the united states are united in efforts to de-escalate in the ukraine but have you been able to reach a common ground with the chancellor on sanctions particularly the russian energy sector? what is next if you are unable to? reports in the u.s. press suggest that you believe president putin may not be in touch with reality. is that which you believe, chancellor merkel? can you give us more insight into what he might be thinking? do you believe he is a threat to europe? >> obviously, every day we are watching the events in eastern ukraine and southern ukraine with concern. i think what you have seen over the course of the last several months in the midst of this crisis is remarkable unity between the united states and the european union and the response. -- at the same time we have offered a diplomatic approach that could resolve this issue.

we have been unified in supporting the ukrainian government in kiev both economically and diplomatically and politically and we have said we would apply costs and consequences to the russians if they continued with their actions. that's exactly what we have done. you saw over the course of the last week additional sanctions of light both by the europeans and the u.s. the next step is going to be a broader-based sectoral sanctions regime. what we have said is that we want to continue to keep open the possibility of resolving the issue diplomatically but as angela merkel said, if, in fact, we see the disruptions and the destabilization continuing, so severely that it impedes elections on may 25, we will not

have a choice but to move forward with additional more severe sanctions. the consultations have been taking place over the course of the last several weeks about what exactly those would look like and would apply to a range of sectors. the goal is not to punish russia. the goal is to give them an incentive to choose the better course and that is to resolve these issues diplomatically. i think we are united on that front. within europe, within the eu, i'm sure there has to be extensive consultations. you got 28 countries and some are more vulnerable than others to potential russian retaliation and we have to take those into account.

not every country will be in exactly the same place. but has been remarkable is the degree to which all countries agreed that russia has violated international law and violated territorial integrity and sovereignty of a country in europe and i think there is unanimity that there has to be consequences for that. how we structure the sectoral sanctions, the experts have been working on and we anticipate that if we have to use them, we can. our preference would be not to have to use them. i think chancellor merkel's leadership on this front. she has been extorting her league helpful not only -- she has been extra ordinarily helpful not only in facilitating the european union but has also been very important in helping to shape a possible diplomatic resolution and reaching out to the russians to encourage them to take that door while it is

still open. when it comes to sectoral sanctions, we are looking at a range of issues. energy flows from russia to europe. that continued in the midst of the cold war, at the height of the cold war. the idea that you will turn off the tap on all russian oil or natural gas exports i think is unrealistic. but there are a range of approaches that can be taken not only in the energy sector but in the arms sector, the finance sector in terms of lines of credit for trade -- all have a significant impact on russia. i don't think it's appropriate for us to delve into the details at this stage because their hope is that we don't have to deploy them there it was i can say is that the discussions are at the highest level. it is not just through the

european commission and our diplomatic teams have been working through all the possibilities. we are confident that we will have a package that will further - uh - -impact russia's growth and economy but again, our hope is that we should not have to use them. we are not interested in punishing the russian people. we think mr. putin and his leadership circle are taking unnecessary decisions and he needs to be dissuaded from his current course. >> i think it is obvious to all of us that there are different assessments on what happens in ukraine. on the one hand, you have the united states and europe, we have always taken our decisions together and on the other hand,

the russians. i hope that russia will live up at her in the future to its responsibilities. we need to see deeds matching words. we don't have any news of the release of hostages of the osce, which is a crucial step that needs to happen for us. we have not yet seen any implementation of the geneva agreement by the russians. the osce is an organization to which we wish to accord a greater role so they can prepare and pave the way for elections. one word on sanctions -- i agree with the american president that they are not an end in itself but combined with the offer that we want the diplomatic solutions, it is a very necessary second component to show that we are serious about

our principles and there is a broad range of possibilities that are being prepared for in the european union. in europe, we have taken a decision that should further destabilize an happen, we will move to the third stage of sanctions. i would like to underline this is not necessarily what we want but we are ready and prepared to go to such a step. my main aim would be first and foremost to improve stabilization and see to it that the elections can happen. we will work on this in the next few days but we are also prepared to take further steps. what we are talking about will be sectoral measures in the context of certain branches of industry. the american president and i can only agree to this. we must do what is necessary in regards to the dependency on gas which is important in europe. we can also look ahead in the medium term and what we can do

in order to promote and energy union which we are doing. we're looking at dependencies in the next 10-15 years on russian gas supplies. there are six countries right now in the eu that depend 100% on gas supplies and went to improve the flow and improve our grade of pipelines. all of the countries need to share supplies. those are measures we are currently discussing in europe. we're talking about short but also medium-term and long-term issues. the free trade agreement is gaining prominence in this respect. sorry - madam chancellor, you said that time is of the essence and it's getting shorter leading up to may 25. what is the time when you would say moving to a third phase of sanctions is what you would promote? is a more energy intensive initiative by the eu necessary on the government level?

can you understand the fact that mr. putin needs to play a role in the solution. his arguments have to be weighed and after the chancellor has made several cone falls with him -- phone calls with him, did you have a chance with this? >> what about the next few days to come -- i think the meeting of foreign ministers of the eu on the 12th of they will play a very important role and i suspect one can send that what possibilities there are in various directions. from the german side, will do everything we can in order to bring the oscd into a situation supported politically to do what is necessary in order to ring ideas forward in the u.k.. you have monitors for the

elections but also questions as regards to a change in the constitution, reform towards further decentralization -- all of the different countr -- arts of the country have to be together. we want to give them the necessary political backing. at a certain point in time, when it is there, it is difficult to predict. to me, the elections on may 25 are crucial. should there be further attempts at destabilization, this will be getting more and more difficult. for now, i am working for elections to take place on that very date and the heads of state and government are ready at any time should that prove necessary to meet. we have approved that over the past in other areas during the euro crisis and we will them in straight this resolved yet again.

i am firmly convinced that united states of america and the european union a to act in concert here and they have done so in the past and they are going to continue to do so. >> i sense from the start that russia has legitimate interests in terms of what happens next door in ukraine. obviously, there is a deep and complicated history between russia and ukraine. of course, mr. putin's views should be taken into account. what cannot be taken into account is mr. putin's suggestion through words and actions that he has the right to violate the sovereignty of another country. to violate its territorial integrity, today eight -- to dictate the economic ologies or foreign policy of a sovereign country. that is not acceptable.

our view from the start has been that the ukrainians should be able to make their own decisions. i am very confident that if ukrainians were allowed to make their own decisions, and they will choose to have a good relationship with russia as well is a good relationship with europe, that they want to trade with russia and trade with europe. but what they cannot accept understandably is the notion that they are simply an appendage, an extension of russia and that the kremlin has veto power over decisions made by a duly elected government in kiev. if in fact mr. putin's goal is to allow ukrainians to make their own decisions, then he is free to offer up his opinions about what he would like the relationship to be between

ukraine and russia and i suspect there will be a lot of ukrainian leaders who will take those views into consideration. it cannot be done at the barrel of a gun. it cannot be done by sending massed gunmen to occupy buildings or intimidate journalists. one of the biggest concerns we have seen is the russian propaganda that has been blasted out nonstop suggesting somehow that the ukrainian government is responsible for the problems in eastern ukraine. the ukrainian government has shown remarkable restraint throughout this process. the notion that this is some spontaneous uprising in eastern ukraine is belied by all the evidence of well trained and armed militias with the capacity to shoot down helicopters, and generally local protesters don't

possess that capacity of surface to air missiles or whatever weapons were used to shoot down helicopters tragically. we have seen the attempt of osc monitors who were approved not just by europe or the united states but also by russia being detained. and somehow russia is suggesting that kiev is responsible for that. we have heard mr. putin say keo has to do a better job of reaching out to eastern europe -- or eastern ukraine. you have seen attempts by kiev and a very serious way to propose decentralization of power. to provide for local elections.

for them to offer amnesty to those who have already taken over these buildings, none of them have been acknowledged by mr. putin or various russian mouthpieces out there. you have also seen suggestions or implications that americans are responsible for meddling inside ukraine. i have to say that our only interest is for ukraine to be able to make its own decisions. the last thing we want is disorder and chaos in the center of europe. so, for the german audience who perhaps is tuning into russian tv, i would just advise to stay focused on the facts and what has happened on the ground. a few weeks ago, mr. putin was still denying the russian

military was involved in crimea. a few weeks later, he acknowledged that they were his guys. they're just has not been the kind of honesty and credibility about the situation there and the willingness to engage seriously in resolving these diplomatic issues. our hope is that in fact mr. putin recognizes there is a way for him to have good relations with ukraine, good relations with europe, good relations with the united states. but it cannot be done through the kinds of intimidation and coercion we are seeing take place right now in eastern europe. >> thank you, mr. president. earlier this week, critics have called an inhumane manner because of a watched execution. -- a botched execution. some countries have expressed

their concern. what are your thoughts on this? does this raise more questions about u.s. justice? two chancellor merkel -- after edward snowden's revelation on surveillance of your own cell phone, you said friends should not spy on friends. this is now healthy with a healthy alliance? has the personal trust been rebuilt? could you elaborate on thisagreement? thank you. >> what happened in oklahoma is deeply troubling. the individual who was subject to the death penalty had committed heinous and terrible

crimes. i have said in the past that there are certain circumstances in which a crime is so terrible that the application of the death penalty may be appropriate. mass killings, the killings of children. but i have also said that in the application of the death penalty in this country, we have seen significant problems. there's racial bias, uneven application of the death penalty, situations in which there were individuals on death row who later on were discovered to have been innocent because of exculpatory evidence. all of these to raise

significant questions about how the death penalty is being applied. the situation in oklahoma i think highlights some of the significant problem's there. i will be discussing with eric holder and others to give me an analysis of what steps have been taken not just in this particular instance but more broadly in this area. i think we have to, as a society, ask ourselves some difficult than profound questions around these issues. if you don't mind, i will also go ahead and maybe say something about nsa just because i know is of great interest in the german press as well. germany is one of our closest allies and one of our closest friends. that is true across the spectrum of issues, security, intelligence, economic,

diplomatic and angela merkel is one of my closest friends on the world stage and somebody whose partnership i deeply value. and so it has pained me to see the degree to which the snowden disclosures have created strains on the relationship. more broadly, i have also been convinced for a very long time that it is important for our legal structure and our policy structure to catch up with rapidly advancing technologies. as a consequence, through a series of steps, what we have tried to do is reform what we do and have taken these issues very seriously. to mystically, we have tried to

provide additional assurances to the american people that their privacy is protected. what i have also done is taken the unprecedented step of ordering our intelligence community to take the privacy interests of non-us persons into account in everything they do. it is something that has not been done before and most other countries do not do this. i have said that the privacy interests of non-us citizens are deeply relevant and have to be taken into account and we have to have policies and procedures to protect them, not just u.s. persons. we are in the process of implementing a whole series of those steps. we have shared with the germans the things we are doing. i will repeat what i have said before that ordinary germans are not subject to continual surveillance and are not subject